LAMPASAS COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Candles lit the night in Lampasas on Monday as the community gathered at the courthouse to honor political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed last week on a college campus in Utah.
Watch the full story here:
Now, many are left asking how this moment could reshape the country’s political climate for generations to come.
“It’s hard not to respect how he was always open-minded. No matter the scenario he was in, no matter how he was being attacked, he still wanted to hear both sides of the argument, and I feel like everybody should be that way,” said Levi Sokoloski of Lampasas.
Levi and his wife, Lacie, stood at the Lampasas County Courthouse for the vigil Monday night and returned the next morning to exchange wedding vows. As they step into a new chapter together, the couple said they hope to carry Kirk’s message forward.
“I completely believe that we are going to pick up the torch wherever he left it, and continue on with it,” Lacie Sokoloski said.
“Definitely living and leading what they talk about. I definitely believe what just happened lit a fire in all of us, especially the younger crowd, and we are not going to go down, and this is just the beginning of the fight,” she added.
That fire was felt across other generations as well.
“When did all this start? When did we stop agreeing to disagree? I feel like this is our time to make a change for our children, for our future. I think the biggest for me is, overcome the hatred,” said Britta Stevens, one of the vigil organizers.
“Our days, we’ve had our days, we didn’t do a very good job, but our kids, they can carry the mantle, they can carry the torch that Charlie Kirk has passed onto them,” Lampasas Mayor Herb Pearce added.
Renee Purdy, who also helped organize the event, called the moment a turning point.
“It is a turning point. Conversations – that’s why Charlie Kirk did what he did. There is a quote that he speaks of that I don’t have memorized, but it essentially talks about, if we can’t have these conversations, then that leads to violence and that’s where our country is,” Purdy said.
Turning Point USA announced a public memorial service will be held Sunday, Sept. 21 in Arizona.
President Trump and Vice President Vance are expected to attend.
